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“Bogeys at one o’clock, slightly high, approaching the convoy from the Northwest.” This is how the dogfight over the Aegean started and in just a few minutes, 7 Ju-87 “Stukas” were shot down in flames.

On October 9, 1943, a dogfight of epic proportions took place on the skies over the Aegean, when USAAF P-38 “Lightnings” intercepted a wave of Ju-87 “Stukas” that started at 12:15 hrs as a second wave to attack a convoy of Allied naval ships.

A first wave of dive bombers had already attacked the formation between 12:00-12:05, sinking one destroyer and causing damages to a light cruiser.

Lt. Col. (ret.) Hans Peter Eisenbachhas put together a minute-by-minute account of this dogfight, which claimed 7 Ju-87 “Stukas” shot down and one destroyed at an emergency landing on the nearby island of Rodos.

Thanks to Lt. Col. (ret.) Hans Peter Eisenbachit is now quite clear that the Ju-87 “Stukas” attacked in two waves, which performed their attacks with a time difference of approximately 15 minutes.

The first wave, which had taken off from Megara is the one that managed to sink HMS Panther and damage HMS Carlisle, while the second wave, which had taken off from Argos, was the one intercepted by the USAAF P-38 “Lightnings”, suffering terrific losses, with 7 Ju-87 “Stukas” shot down and another one destroyed during the forced landing in Rodos island.

Army Air Corps Colonel William L. Leverette was one of only two American pilots in World War II to score seven victories in a single encounter with the enemy. SOURCE: https://www.tigernet.com/forum/thread/Clemsons-Military-History-441660

USAAF Major Bill Leverette, 37th US Fighter Squadron, reported on the following day the exact specifics of the dogfight and the full report can be seen below. Leverette claimed for himself the 7 aircraft shot down.

I wish to personally thank Lt. Col. (ret.) Hans Peter Eisenbach for his kindness and willingness to share all this information and respond to my questions, not only as a tribute to the memory of his uncle Friedrich “Fritz” Eisenbach, but as an important first-hand account of the events that unfolded in the skies and seas of Greece in 1943.